Cavs Without Harden as Thumb Injury Limits Star’s Dribbling Ability

DETROIT — The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face off against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, but they will do so without the services of their dynamic backcourt duo, Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. Harden’s absence comes after he sustained a thumb injury during the Cavaliers’ victory over the New York Knicks earlier in the week.

Following the game, X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of Harden’s distal phalanx. Fortunately for the Cavaliers, he will not require surgery at this time and is expected to manage the injury as he continues to play. However, head coach Kenny Atkinson noted that the star guard is currently having difficulty with basic ball-handling skills.

“I know this morning he was struggling a little just dribbling,” Atkinson said when discussing Harden’s condition before the game. “If you have a hard time dribbling and catching, it’s tough to play.” He drew a parallel to Jarrett Allen’s earlier struggles with a similar issue, emphasizing the need for patience in Harden’s recovery process. “James is different…we got to get the feedback from James. There’s no tougher guy in the league. No one more available. No one wants to play more.”

The original plan was for Harden to participate in pregame warmups to assess his readiness. However, he did not emerge for warmups as expected, raising concerns about his current state.

Despite his absence on Friday, Atkinson remains optimistic about Harden’s progress. “It was improved from when he first did it,” he shared. “It wasn’t like, man it feels the same. It’s better than it was two days ago, so that’s a positive.”

In his seven games with the Cavaliers this season, Harden has been averaging 18.9 points and 8 assists, shooting .494 from the field, .488 from three-point range, and .867 from the free-throw line. Overall, he has averaged 24.5 points and 8.1 assists across 51 games this season.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.